Ken Bucklew A well-known Spencer artist is among the 109 whose works were selected for the Hoosier Salon 85th Annual Exhibition. The annual juried competition promotes Hoosier artists and their art by identifying the best works by Indiana artists, showcasing them in the annual exhibition and making them available for sale.

The local artist chosen to be featured in this year's exhibition is Ken Bucklew for his oil pantings, "The Stutz Barn" and "Winter on the White."

Titled Designed to Last, the Hoosier Salon 85th Annual Exhibition is July 13 through September 6 at the Indiana State Museum, 650 West Washington Street.

To enter the competition an artist must be a current resident or have lived in the state of Indiana for at least one year and be a Hoosier Salon member. There are 138 works in the juried exhibition selected from 591 entries. The 2009 exhibition features 16 first-time exhibitors.

The first Hoosier Salon exhibition opened in 1925 at Marshall Field's and Company Galleries in Chicago. A group called Daughters of Indiana created the exhibition as a way to prove that Indiana artists deserved national recognition. Artists included in the inaugural exhibition included T.C. Steele (another Owen County native), J. Ottis Adams, Eugene Savage and William Forsyth. The exhibition has continued every year since then, moving to Indianapolis in 1941 and to the Indiana State Museum in 1990. The sponsoring organization is now known as Hoosier Salon Patrons Association.

The show is open to the public during regular museum hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free for museum members and children under 3, $7 for adults, $6.50 for seniors, and $4 for children ages 3 to 12.

At the close of the exhibition, selected works will go on tour throughout the state.

The Bucklew Gallery is located a short distance east of Spencer near the entrance to McCormick's Creek State Park.